What Could've Been
by Blackwolf-20
Summary: Tony never wanted the fight to go this far, but it did. Captain America has fallen at his hand. Grief stricken, Tony sneaks his body back to his tower to mourn. What happens when Bruce decided to return and walks in on this scene? Civil war inspired. (no spoilers)
**Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers or Captain America**

 **Plot: Tony never wanted the fight to go this far, but it did. Captain America has fallen at his hand. Grief stricken, Tony sneaks his body back to his tower to mourn. What happens when Bruce decided to return and walks in on this scene? Civil war inspired. (no spoilers)**

 **I was kind of inspired also by reading a few fanfics dealing with what would happen if Tony killed Steve. Though I was planning to do another type of scenario where cap didn't die but still something happened, but I got this idea, and originally I had it be Pepper walking in on the scene. But I thought if Bruce isn't going to be in the movie, I could put him in this 'what if' scenario.** **It was my goal to get this out before May 6** **th** **.**

What Could've Been

"Final warning."

The words played in his head like a bad song. But so too did another set of words.

"I can do this all day."

The sad reality was, he couldn't, and Tony was left with the last words of a man he had eventually called a friend. Where was that friend now?

He was lying on the couch across from Tony, who sat slumped forward in a chair staring at his prone figure. It would've looked as though he was sleeping if it wasn't for the obvious wounds on his flesh and the rips and tears in his suit. Tony himself still donned his Iron man suit, the helmet dangling loosely in his hand.

In the background, the television played news coverage of speculations and even some footage of the battle of heroes versus heroes. The world didn't yet know what he had done. After the realization had struck; after he watched a shocked and confused Steve Rogers stumble backwards then collapse, he had gotten back to his feet after dropping himself, and scooped up the one-time leader of the Avengers in his arms, then smuggled him from the scene. With the help of reinforcements in the forms of his new army of suits, Tony had managed to bring the captain back to his tower without interruption. And now, he had no idea what to do.

Tony dropped his head. No tears fell. He just felt numb and beyond lost.

He didn't know why he'd done it. Why did he kill his friend? Why couldn't he understand his point of view? Why had he let it escalate to this point? And why did he bring him back to the tower?

Tony didn't know any of the answers. A few times he was sure his A.I Friday had tried to speak to him, but he had already tuned the world out. If there was anyone he wanted to hear from, it was Steve, but of course it was impossible now. He just stared at the captain's once perfect features, now marred by battle. As he watched him, he couldn't help thinking how young he looked, as well as brave. Steve had always been willing to die for what he believed in, and Tony understood this more than ever now.

After what seemed like forever, Tony swallowed hard and spoke.

"I'm sorry."

He hated the dead silence that followed. If only, he could hear the man speak.

"Tony?"

He wheeled around at the unexpected voice behind him. He blinked a few times, uncertain if he was truly seeing who he thought he was seeing. Bruce Banner, standing still as a statue, staring at the scene before him in shock.

"Bruce…what are..how did you…"

Bruce took a few slow steps forward before coming to a stop, dropping the duffle bag he was carrying. His eyes fell down to their captain's pale face in horror.

"What have you done?" he gasped.

It no longer was important to know when Bruce had returned and how he managed to get into the tower without his own security alerting him about the intrusion. Tony didn't care now. He bowed his head like an ashamed child.

"I don't, know…I….it went too far."

The silence that followed was painful.

Tony heard Bruce shuffling forward closer to the captain, but Tony couldn't watch. He wriggled his hands together then released a great breath. When he couldn't take the lack of noise, he looked up. Bruce was a statue over the body on the couch, just staring down at the man. It took a moment before Tony was able to speak.

"I'm sorry."

Bruce didn't say anything for what seemed like a while.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." There was such conviction in his voice, it was unlike the mild-mannered man he'd come to know.

"I know," Tony choked. "I don't…know how I'm going to tell the world. That I killed Steve Rogers. I killed Captain America."

At last Bruce turned, and with a stumble, fell heavily into a chair next to Tony. He suddenly looked half dead.

"Why?" Bruce pleaded without taking his eyes off of Steve's face.

"It was inevitable," Tony explained. "Or maybe, it really wasn't. Our teams fought. Then it was just, me and him. I didn't hold back and he…" Once again he saw Steve stumbling backwards and collapsing. Tony squeezed his eyes shut briefly. "It was over before I realized it. Then I brought him back...brought him back here. Don't ask me why."

"I don't have to," Bruce answered. "I know why."

"They don't know…they don't know what happened to him."

Tony found himself fidgeting slightly. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt very frightened of Bruce's company, as if he expected the Hulk to pop out of him and beat him to a pulp.

"You were smart not to get involved," Tony said quietly.

"I'm not so sure. Maybe, if I did get involved, this wouldn't have happened." Bruce paused and dropped his head. "Then again, it might have been me killing Steve…or you, depending whose side…"

"But you didn't have to choose," Tony suddenly said, feeling the need to defend his absence. "You didn't have to fight old friends. You didn't have to experience what we did."

"I feel like I already have Tony." Bruce leaned back in his seat and ran a tired hand over his brow. "I've always been fighting myself, then I left...I left you guys."

"It's not the same thing."

"No. But, it would've been worse if I was here."

Tony shook his head as he turned to him.

"It couldn't be worse than it is now."

Bruce didn't reply. He just stared back at him with a hollow look. Tony dropped his gaze again, then he stood.

"What are you doing back here? And…why haven't you killed me yet?"

Bruce leaned forward and clasped his hands as if in prayer.

"I came back because, word reached me about registration. I wasn't going to come back, but, I thought about it one night. I thought, but mostly felt, something was going to go wrong. Something was going to happen to Natasha, to my friends."

Tony sighed and purposely avoided looking at Steve for the moment. Instead he looked down at his armored hands.

"Something did happen to your friends. But you can stop worrying. Nat's fine. She was fighting with me, but not against Cap." Bruce gave a nod and seemed to release a sigh of relief. "Answer my other question."

At first Tony thought he would refuse.

"You mean why haven't I turned green and threw you through a wall?" Tony flinched when he met Bruce's eyes which just showed the smallest glimmer of green before turning fully brown. "It's taking every ounce of self-control to keep that from happening, but the way I see it, there's been enough killing for the day."

Tony stumbled forward and had to catch the arm of the chair.

"Besides, I don't know the whole story Tony, just what I've heard. I'd really like to hear your point of view…then I'd like to hear Steve's."

Tony swallowed the lump that had been forming in his throat.

"I'll tell you everything…everything you want to know."

"First, I'd really like a moment with him."

Tony gave a nod as Bruce got to his feet. Slowly he walked over to the couch and crouched down before Steve. Tony watched the scene, feeling sick and empty.

"I destroyed it," he muttered, not expecting Bruce to hear. But he did hear and turned around.

"Destroyed what?" Bruce asked, though he knew what Tony was getting at.

"Our friendship," he said in a shaky voice. "It could've been, the three of us…not just you and me."

Bruce didn't say anything. He turned back to Steve and took a hold of one of his hands. Tony turned away, heading for the bar to give Bruce some privacy with the fallen hero.

After pouring himself a drink, he looked up to see Bruce was speaking to the man, but he couldn't hear what was said. Tony settled onto a stool and turned his back in order to bury himself in his sorrow and several drinks.

' _It should be the other way around'_ he thought angrily. He downed the glass and poured another.

' _Why wasn't it the other way around?'_ Again he emptied another glass and poured more.

' _He was the great man everyone said he was…and I destroyed him'_ The drink went down his throat much faster.

' _It should've been…'_

He held the glass in an iron grip as tears started to make their way down his cheeks. Quickly he reached up and wiped them away, just as Bruce was approaching him. Slowly Bruce removed the glass from his hand, which Tony easily allowed to happen. Then he reached an arm around his shoulder as he guided him off the stool.

"It's time to face what happened Tony. Our friends deserve to know."

"This will divide us further."

"This has to bring us together," Bruce countered. "You can't, they can't do this anymore. I don't think Steve would want that."

"Steve wanted…" he had to stop as his voice started to break. "Steve wanted, freedom from control, he wanted…he didn't want any part of what I believed. Sam didn't, and neither did Clint, or Wanda, and…"

"Then this is your chance Tony, to really find a way to bring them all together, without costing anymore lives."

Without even realizing it, Bruce had walked Tony back to where Steve laid, who looked suddenly peaceful on that couch. Tony looked down at him, feeling both afraid and desperate.

"They'll kill me, when they see what I've done."

"I'll protect you," Bruce answered, without expressing defense for either Tony or Steve. He expressed a man determined to seek the truth of what had gone wrong, even if he had to stand next to a man with his friend's blood on his hands.

Tony closed his eyes and imagined a scene in which he, and Bruce, and Steve were sitting together in the lab, enjoying one another's company. He could see it really happening.

But it was just a fantasy.

It had never happened, and was never going to.

"Do you think it really could've been the three of us?" he asked quietly, frightened of the answer, as he stared at Steve once again. Bruce also stared at their leader as he responded.

"Yes Tony…I think it could've."

 **Hope you enjoyed that. I'll say one final thing that inspired the subject of this story was hearing Tony call Steve his friend in one of the earlier trailer. I always liked their odd relationship in Avengers and never considered them on a friendship level, and then I found myself liking the idea of Tony, Bruce, and Steve being close friends as opposed to the bromance or science bros of Tony and Bruce which I love. So the focus here ended up being on Tony and Bruce.**

 **For a fic that included the death of Steve during Civil war circumstances, I didn't want it to lean heavily on blaming or turning Tony into the villain. I've read fics like that which I enjoyed, but I wanted Bruce to be open to hearing Tony's side since he hadn't been here. I was going to have more Tony observing Steve here and even talking to him, but it ended up expressing Tony and Bruce on the matter.**

 **Anyways, hope you review, and no spoilers in the review please.**


End file.
